2022 Salutatorian Spotlight: Turquoise Martin!
Throughout my life, I’ve experienced a lot of trauma, dealing with substance use disorder and justice involvement. But my educational journey played a pivotal role in my recovery and healing. Education helped me put the pieces of my life back together, and this year, I’m graduating with my Bachelor’s degree in Urban Policy & Planning from Hunter College.
When I was considering going back to school, I had just started a new job as an Outreach Worker for the Visiting Nurses Service of New York. I told the woman I worked under about my dreams to go back to school and the reservations I had about the process. To my surprise, she was also justice-impacted. She told me her story and urged me to join CCF. She said they would be able to mitigate the barriers I was facing and help me regain the confidence I needed to go back to college.
The CCF counselors walked me through every step: from financial aid to applications and even choosing a major. I eventually landed on Urban Policy & Planning by falling in love with the class offerings. Courses like sex education policy, advocacy, education policy, African literature classes, sbnormal psychology, urban sociology, and community organizing, economics, and others - These classes made things make sense for me.
The passion I had found for education transformed all facets of my life. At home, it became an overarching theme and brought my family closer together. When I began my college journey, my son was 13 years old. We did homework together, had a shared whiteboard to keep track of our projects, papers, and events, and my son even tutored me in math in the beginning. The way we supported one another through education unquestionably strengthened our relationship. We were examples of perseverance for each other.
For myself, I became someone I could believe in, someone who is available to show up and be a resource to my community and my family. Pursuing higher education has given me new possibilities. It is a vehicle for change, peace, and potential. It restored the belief that I could do anything I wanted.
In relation to others, CCF played a big role in strengthening my understanding of community. It is a place where I belong, where diversity thrives, and where I can be of service to others. At CCF, I found my place to grow and care for others as I heal and care for myself.
There were times when I became frustrated with a paper, a professor, or a process, but at CCF, I had open ears and guidance, which I could use to learn to advocate for myself at school and work. Getting to know other women in community meetings and learning with them despite us all being on different journeys inspired me. We supported each other in achieving our goals and celebrating our accomplishments. On days when I didn’t know if I could make it through the semester, I had other women who had been through the same thing by my side, inspiring me to persevere.
I also had the opportunity to participate in the first cohort of Women Influencing Systems & History (WISH). Being a part of the advent of a community of women who wanted to make a difference meant the world to me. Learning policy, advocacy, leadership, and organizing with them fostered lifelong sisterhoods that were always there to speak your name, educate you, empower you, and lift you up.
After graduation, there are so many possibilities for me. I’ve resumed courses to become a certified financial planner, and I’ll be able to give more focus to my small business dreams! Plus, I’ll get to enjoy being a mother to a college student as my son is graduating from high school this year as well!
If you’re thinking about higher education, go for it. There are always new possibilities. I would rather hear a “no” than wonder my whole life if it could have been a “yes.”